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Chicago Bulls: 4 free agents that’re better defenders than Garrett Temple

By Andrew Miller

Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images)
Garrett Temple, Lonzo Ball, Chicago Bulls (Photo by Jonathan Bachman/Getty Images) /
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Frank Ntilikina Mandatory Credit: Seth Wenig/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports
Frank Ntilikina Mandatory Credit: Seth Wenig/Pool Photo-USA TODAY Sports /

Free agent targets for the Chicago Bulls that are better defenders than Garrett Temple: Frank Ntilikina

There were parts of Temple’s defensive game this season that were solid for the Bulls, and some that were not so much. Temple was among the top half of Bulls players this season in steal percentage, steals per game, and defensive box plus/minus. But he still had a defensive box plus/minus below zero and the lowest defensive rating in any year of his career to date.

That’s not an encouraging trend as Temple looks to re-sign with the Bulls this summer.

One impending restricted free agent that does have a lot of his production on the defensive end of the floor trending in the right direction is the New York Knicks 22-year-old 6-foot-4 and 200-pound point guard Frank Ntilikina. I’ve long been a fan of the idea of the Bulls trying to sign a younger guard that has his offensive game trending up and has already solidified the reputation of a defensive stopper in the NBA.

That is exactly what someone like Ntilikina could bring to the table for the Bulls. He was greatly undervalued by head coach Tom Thibodeau with the Knicks during the regular season. Despite his increase in his production and efficiency in his fourth year in the NBA, Ntilikina had his playing time (in terms of minutes per game) more than cut in half this season.

Take a closer look at Ntilkina’s numbers per 36 minutes, and you can see the value that he could bring to the table for the Bulls as a second or third unit guard. During the regular season, he averaged 10 points per 36 minutes, 3.5 rebounds, 2.1 assists, a career-best 2.0 steals, and 0.4 blocks. And he shot 36.7 percent from the field, 47.9 percent from beyond the arc, and 44.4 percent from the free-throw line.

The possibility exists for the Bulls to use their bi-annual exception to sign Ntilikina if he’s available to them for a minimum deal. His defensive presence and lack of salary cap hit would both be welcome in this Bulls’ backcourt rotation.